The Big Adventure

Goldiegirl

Hi KC


Here's the link to the recipe


http://www.itv.com/lorraine/food/chocolate-beany-cake-sally-bee-recipe


I had another small slice a little while ago, and I think it improves with keeping. I don't think it's the most MSE of cake, with 5 eggs in it and it tool 90 minutes to cook..... but it does seem to be a good recipe for those of us with food 'issues':)


We went out today to Downe House, the home of Charles Darwin.


It's an English Heritage property. I think it's a good one to see if you are in the area, but as it's not a very large property, you only need to spend a couple of hours in the house and gardens. Fortunately we are EH members, otherwise it'd be pricey to get in - £11.70 for adults. Also, due to conservation issues you can't take food into the grounds, so there's no picnicking. We had a coffee and a slice of shortbread each in the caf!, and that was £10.50. If we hadn't have been EH members, the morning's visit would have been over £30 for the two of us, so I dread to think what it would cost a family. :eek:

Karmacat

Yikes! 5 eggs ... thats interesting but no, I shan't be making that one I appreciate you posting, Goldie, thank you.

Charles Darwin's house! I like the sound of that - tho not the prices! After what you wrote about M&S, I was interested to see a note in Martin's newsletter about the sale - it doesn't work for me, though, I'm going to go to the primarmi on the south coast first thing on Saturday, get there before the crowds overwhelm it. Nightie, slippers, and underwear: all the exciting stuff!

Watty1

I got quite excited by the cake - then I read it again - nope wont do for me at all

Goldiegirl

I'm thinking of trying this one next


http://www.itv.com/lorraine/food/blackberry-and-ginger-crumble-cake-john-whaite-recipe


it's a more conventional cake (still got 4 eggs in it though, and I'd miss out the pinch of salt) and I'll be able to use the blackberries that I'll be foraging as soon as they are ripe.


Lorraine is on just at the time we are having breakfast, so I'm getting loads of ideas from the show. But we turn the TV off when it ends and don't watch Jeremy Kyle afterwards, honest!:rotfl:

Karmacat

That looks interesting - there's a lot that goes with the blackberries, as well as the crumble topping. As you say, still lots of eggs, but they're not so "alone", if you know what I mean

I used to like watching Lorraine too, I like her

Goldiegirl

It's the crumble topping that most appeals to me about that recipe. Any sort of crumble is my favourite desert, so I like the idea of having it on a cake too.

What a day! We had the lights on at noon, it was that dark. Plus we've had a deluge of rain. I wouldn't mind, but we haven't got our water butt yet, so we couldn't take advantage of all the rain.

It's sunny now, but I don't know how long it's going to last.

I'm just waiting for dinner to cook. Tonight it's a beef curry, one of the first recipes I 'harvested' from the Internet when I was looking for low salt recipes. I just haven't had a chance to try this one until now. We've having it with pilau rice. There's something about curry that makes me ravenous when I'm cooking it, so I'm pleased to say it 's just about ready.

Goldiegirl

We now have a water butt:j


Just waiting for it to rain now :rotfl:


For dinner this evening we have chicken and cous cous salad.... it's a slightly experimental one

Watty1

Hopefully that will guarantee a lovely sunny weekend for those of us in the south east :rotfl:

Goldiegirl

Watty1 wrote: »

Hopefully that will guarantee a lovely sunny weekend for those of us in the south east :rotfl:

If not wall to wall sunshine, not a drop of rain has fallen, so my water butt remains resolutely empty!


We are now getting regular courgettes and tomatoes from the garden, but it doesn't seem as much as last year. The blueberry plant we bought a few weeks ago seems healthy enough, but the berries aren't ripening, hopefully we'll get some sun and this will improve. Our pepper plant has plenty of flowers, but no fruit yet, so I think we'll have to wait a bit longer.


The birds are now eating the eBay suet pellets, but seem to have gone mad for the seed in the feeding tube. We filled it up earlier in the week and it's almost empty again. The wild bird seed we buy is 99p for a kg bag at the farm shop, but having checked online it can be bought much cheaper from the likes of eBay and Amazon, so I think I'll have to invest in a large bag fairly soon. We enjoy watching the birds, so it's worth doing.


My plan to sell off my brand new jigsaws quickly to get my money back is not working as well as I hoped. My latest sale was £6.67, again less than my aspirational £7. Next year, I'll probably stick to buying them second hand. I've got a few more currently up for auction, so I'll see what results I get, before I make the final decision.


However, I have sent away to Amazon for one more jigsaw, plus a multi pack of 6 of Mr Goldie's shaving gel at half the supermarket price, and a litre of Radox, at the same price as 500g when its on offer at the supermarket.


I must remember to check Amazon more often as there can be good bulk buy deals on there.


Hope everyone is enjoying the weekend

shala_moo

Goldiegirl wrote: »

The blueberry plant we bought a few weeks ago seems healthy enough, but the berries aren't ripening, hopefully we'll get some sun and this will improve.

We've had issues with our blueberries this year too I've had 2 bushes for a few years and always had a brilliant crop. This year there were loads of flowers & lots of berries, but as you say they aren't ripening and then ours have started to disappear.. *confused*

Hope yours get ripe soon and you haven't got blueberries thieves like I have! :rotfl: